After he complained to school officials that be believed that applicants were denied employment opportunities with the school due to their race, an Alabama State University professor alleges he was met with retaliation. According to the article, White Professor Sues ASU for Reverse Discrimination, Dr. John Garland alleges that as a result of his speaking out, he was transferred to a job that had a lower salary, his profile was removed from the university website, and he was moved to an office that did not have such things as a working computer, phone extensions, or mail service, all of which contributed to a sense of isolation.
In a suit filed against the university, Dr. Garland claims to have witnessed an ASU diversity officer complain at a campus forum that there were too many whites on the school’s faculty. He alleges that he witnessed a faculty member say that only the African American applicants were suited to teach African American students, and that members of a search committee stated that their primary goal should be to hire someone who was female and black. The suit also alleges that after Garland’s partner was appointed Dean of the College of Health Sciences, some of the faculty members expressed concern that the department was becoming too white and began to call it the “White House.”
Counsel for Dr. Garland stated, “There is a powerful institution here attempting to crush employees because they have protested against illegalities and because of who they are.”
In 2013, an appellate court upheld a decision to award more than $1 million in damages to three women in a sexual and racial discrimination suit against ASU. The three judge panel stated it was, “unnerved by the apparent acquiescence to, if not outright condoning of, the abusive work environment created by (the university’s) high-level employees.”
If you or someone you know thinks they have experienced discrimination due to race, the team at Radford & Keebaugh can help. Contact us by phone at (678) 369-3609 or use our contact form.